Category: Jesus

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Growing Faith Newsletter – a must read for parents & leaders

Youthworks have just launched a monthly newsletter, Growing Faith. This is essential reading for all Christian parents and I think it’s useful for those involved in ministry, youth ministry and children’s ministry. The first issue looks great, including the blue jeans and white t-shirt uniform worn in the header pic below! Go sign up for this great resource | Go read the first issue | Pass it on to others…

Here’s the introductory quote:

We have a vision of parents and carers equipped and energised to fulfil their responsibility to raise their children in ‘the fear and instruction of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:2).

Our prayer is that families would grow in faith as the Church in Thessalonica did (2 Thessalonians 1:3) ? trusting in the promises of God’s word and living as missional disciples of Jesus to the glory of God.

Each month you will receive useful information, practical tips and helpful resources. Each issue will contain an interesting article on the privilege and responsibility of discipling our children, short tips from other parents and carers with ideas they have found helpful in this task, plus reviews and links to other useful resources.

Please forward this to anyone you know who shares the responsibility and privilege of raising children to know Jesus.

Go sign up for this great resource | Go read the first issue | Pass it on to others…

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You Hold Me Now

I heard this song a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been humming it ever since! It’s a beautiful picture of a loving God that has promised there is a day coming when crap will be gone. Those who belong to Jesus can look forward to an eternity without weeping, hurt, pain, suffering, darkness, sickness. Bring it. Check the vid:

Lots of the themes in the song are from a stunning part of the bible:

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

REVELATION 21:1-5

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Embarrassed by Jesus?

It’s easy to be embarrassed about being a follower of Jesus. Maybe your parents put up one of those Jesus. All about life banners outside your house, and now you don’t want your friends to see it? Or maybe you have a Christian group at school and you’re a little bit embarrassed so don’t turn up? Or maybe you’ve never filled out the ‘Religious Views’ bit on facebook? It’s easy to understand that we are sometimes embarrassed, or even ashamed to follow Jesus: Jesus himself says that his followers will be hated on his account. What will help you to be unashamed to follow Jesus?

At the centre of Christianity is the death of Jesus upon a cross. 2000 years ago, the cross was considered a pretty horrific symbol and so to say that you worship a Jewish guy who was crucified was considered foolish. There’s an ancient graffiti sketch in Rome of an early Christian, Alexamenos, worshipping Jesus. The picture (see it here) mockingly shows Jesus as half man/half donkey hanging on a cross. The ancient world looked on in ridicule at the death of Jesus upon a dirty piece of wood.

It’s into this type of context that Paul writes in Romans 1:15-16 that he is eager and unashamed to preach Jesus. What made it possible for Paul to have that type of attitude? Why was he unashamed when it was so easy to be ashamed?

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Martin Luther on Romans

Lots of Romans coming up. Sweeeeeet. Here’s what an old school monk said about it:

“This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian’s while not only to memorise it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.” (From Martin Luther’s Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans)

Get it in ya belly!

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Never Be Destroyed – Summary of Daniel Series

I’ve enjoyed spending lots of time in Daniel during the past couple of months: I wrote 6 blogs posts; gave a 5 talk series on 2 camps; wrote an exam answer on Political Philosophy from Daniel 4 and 5; suffered an academic injury writing an essay on History and Providence in Daniel; and been encouraged to keep trusting the “one like a son of man” – Jesus.  Here’s a key verse about Jesus from Daniel 7:14 “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Here is the whole series:

(The talks from CMS Camp MMM were probably the better ones.)

Shout out to John Woodhouse and his 1984 sermon series, Daniel for Today.

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What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert

The word ‘gospel’ simply means ‘good news’. Of all the gospels in the world, there is no gospel that is more momentous or more important than the gospel of Jesus. My life was changed when I came to understand this gospel. But what is ‘the gospel’?

Greg Gilbert from 9 Marks ministries has recently written a book that answers this question with great clarity in a small and very readable book.

Here’s the description from Crossway books:

What is the gospel? It seems like a simple question, yet it has been known to incite some heated responses, even in the church. How are we to formulate a clear, biblical understanding of the gospel? Tradition, reason, and experience all leave us ultimately disappointed. If we want answers, we must turn to the Word of God.

Greg Gilbert does so in What Is the Gospel? Beginning with Paul’s systematic presentation of the gospel in Romans and moving through the sermons in Acts, Gilbert argues that the central structure of the gospel consists of four main subjects: God, man, Christ, and a response. The book carefully examines each and then explores the effects the gospel can have in individuals, churches, and the world. Both Christian and non-Christian readers will gain a clearer understanding of the gospel in this valuable resource.

The God, man, Christ, response formula is nothing new. So the book isn’t offering a new or fresh understanding of the gospel, but rather restating the gospel as it is revealed in the Bible. I really love the way that Gilbert writes. This book is only 100 (small-sized) pages, but in those pages he packs in a lot of quality content without some of the technical clutter you might find in a more academic work. That doesn’t mean that this book lacks academic integrity, rather it’s written at a level that is accessible to a general readership.

Here’s a video of Gilbert explaining why he wrote the book:

Continue reading “What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert”